


You With Your Tender Offerings

by mrsbarlow



Category: Men's Hockey RPF
Genre: Gilmore Girls AU, M/M, Sort Of
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-12
Updated: 2019-09-12
Packaged: 2020-10-17 07:51:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,712
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20617541
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mrsbarlow/pseuds/mrsbarlow
Summary: Kyle has just moved to Stars Hollow. William is head over heels. The annual picnic basket auction seems like a perfect first date opportunity.





	You With Your Tender Offerings

**Author's Note:**

> I’ve been re-watching Gilmore Girls and somehow this happened. 
> 
> Title from First Aid Kit.

“Why can't you just ask him out like a normal person,” Kappy whines, as William carefully picks through the pile of baskets at Doose’s market.

“Because he’s going to ask me out,” William says simply, “duh. Haven’t you been listening to my plan?”

“You mean he’s going to pay a bunch of money for a two a dollar basket and some chips and eat with you in the square. For charity.”

William sets down the basket he’s holding. “How dare you.”

“That’s what this is, William.”

“No, Kappy, no. It’s a tradition! A _romantic _tradition. So what if it’s also for a good cause? I bet Kyle loves charity. He will probably be even more in love with me because of my dedication to charity through this picnic auction. It’s the perfect plan.”

“You met him less than a month ago.”

“What’s your point?”

“You met him less than a month ago and you’re already talking love?”

“Some people do still believe in love, you know.”

“I believe in love,” Kappy scoffs. “I just don’t think you’ve thought this through. You barely know the guy. You just hang out at the bookstore every day, talking to him and pretending you know how to read. You haven’t even hung out as friends. What if he’s allergic to something? What if you accidentally kill him with your romantic picnic basket?”

“You worry too much. What do you think of this one?” William holds up a classic whicker basket with two flaps and a vine of flowers woven around the handle.

Kappy sighs and rolls his eyes. “Sure, it’s perfect, absolutely beautiful. Can we go?”

William pays for the basket and Kappy all but drags him out of the market. They make it about two feet down the street when William says, “Hm, you know, I think I might—”

“Stop in at the bookstore?” Kappy says dryly. “See if they have anything new? What a surprise.”

“You can come too.”

“And watch you swoon against the front counter? I’d rather die, thanks.”

“Your jealousy is very unattractive, Kasperi!” William calls after him.

The bookstore is mostly empty today, just a few kids looking at some comics near the back. Kyle is at the desk, flipping through a big stack of paperbacks and recording numbers for like, barcodes or something probably. William hovers by the new releases shelf right near the front and pretends to be very interested in a new historical fiction title. He puts it down fairly quickly. William _can _read, obviously, but from the two sentences he read on the back, this book sounds like a capital B bummer.

“Oh,” a voice says from behind him. “William, hi. Sorry, I didn’t hear you come in.”

William turns, making sure to wave his brand new basket around. Kyle notices and grins. William’s heart flutters a little at the way Kyle’s eyes get all scrunched when he smiles.

“Ah, so you’re doing that picnic contest thing too? Taylor’s been by at least three times today trying to get me sign up.”

“Well, it is for charity,” William says, leaning right up against the counter and plopping his chin against his hand. “How can I say no to a good cause?”

Kyle laughs and shifts the stack of books to the side so he can see William better. “Fair enough. Although you seem like the kind of guy who likes a picnic anyway.”

“Oh?” William raises an eyebrow. “Do I?”

“Oh yeah, checkered blanket, homemade lemonade, card games, kite flying and everything.”

“And what about you, Kyle? Are you the kind of guy who likes a picnic?”

“Well, I do like charities,” he admits. _Called it, _William thinks. “But,” Kyle continues, “I do find the whole picnic date auction thing a little weird?”

William’s stomach flip flops. “You do? Why?”

Kyle looks kind of surprised. “Well, you’re paying for someone to spend time with you? It just doesn’t really seem…ethical?”

Well shit. “Oh yeah,” William says, shaking his head and frowning. “Ethics, yeah for sure. Definitely some questionable ethics.”

Kyle bites his lip, looking like he’s trying very hard not to laugh. William would like to make him laugh, or at least help with the trying not to laugh part.

“But,” William continues, a little hesitant. He swings the basket back and forth at his side. “But, don’t you think it’s like, I don’t know, a liiittle romantic? Like just a bit?”

Kyle thinks for a minute. “Well, I think if someone makes their basket for a specific person, and there’s an agreement pre-auction that said person will be the one to bid on the basket, then sure, it could be kind of cute.”

“_Right?_” William says, grasping at this lead and also at Kyle’s hand on the counter. He lets go very quick because he didn’t actually mean to do that and now his heart is beating a little too fast and he feels a bit flustered. “So cute. So very, very cute.”

“Very,” Kyle agrees.

William hums and swings the basket some more. “So. Are you going to bid on a basket?”

He doesn’t think he’s imagining that Kyle blushes a bit. “Um.”

William remembers Kyle’s point about a pre-auction agreement. “Are you going to bid on _my _basket?” He asks, giving Kyle what he knows is a very charming smile. He’s been told before.

Kyle blinks several times very fast. William can’t tell if he’s nervous or surprised or if he’s trying to find a nice way to tell William, no, he will not bid on his basket in what he thinks is a very dumb tradition that is more creepy than romantic, not even if it is for charity, and to please get out of his book store now.

“Only because if you were, I just figured I should know if you, like, have any allergies,” William says. He very much wants to take his basket and run out of the store now. “Just so that I don’t accidentally kill you. Or anyone else in town. I obviously am asking everyone in town, of course, not just you, in case you or anyone in town bids on my basket. For charity.”

Kyle blinks some more. “Right. Everyone in town. For charity.”

“Yeah. Yeah exactly. So um. Do you?”

“Do I what?”

“Have any allergies?”

“Oh,” Kyle says. “Um, no. I’ll eat anything. Except gross stuff, like canned tuna. Maybe don’t put canned tuna in your basket.” And then he adds. “You know, just in case.”

“Just in case?” William perks up, hopeful.

“Yeah,” Kyle shrugs, “just in case.”

“No gross things,” William promises. “Just in case.”

“Good,” Kyle says, and he smiles a little. “Um. I should probably get back to work.”

“Right. I should probably go get food for my basket. Would be a pretty shitty charity date if it was an empty basket, huh?”

“I’m sure you’d still find a way to make it interesting,” Kyle says with what is partly a grin but mostly a smirk. And that. That nearly knocks William back into the memoirs shelf.

“Ha. Yeah. Sure would. Right. Anyway. Sorry for bothering you. You go do some book stuff. I’ll see you later. Tomorrow maybe, at the auction.”

“You’re never a bother to me, William. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

So, it maybe didn’t go quite as William had planned, and Kappy will probably bang his head on the table when William tells him what happened, but it doesn’t seem like a complete disaster either. And William can work with that.

***

William is part way through a disastrous attempt at snickerdoodles when Mitch shows up at his door carrying a giant garbage bag.

“Thank god you’re home. Auston’s not here is he?” Mitch asks, peeking behind the kitchen door like Auston may be hiding there.

“No, I think he’s at work? What’s in the bag? I’m not throwing your trash out with mine again just because you can never remember which day is garbage day.”

“It’s not garbage,” Mitch says, offended. He opens the bag and pulls out a literal children’s Easter basket, a few clumps of rainbow Easter grass, and a bunch of craft supplies. He dumps all of this onto William’s table. “I need help with my picnic basket.”

William stares at him. “Mitchell, what the hell is this?”

“My basket! Don’t laugh! All the good ones from Doose’s are gone now.”

“So you bought an Easter basket? And some shredded plastic? What’s with the glitter glue?”

“I’m gonna decorate it, duh.”

“Mitchell, you know the point of the auction is what’s in the basket, right? Like, it’s a picnic? Which means there’s food?”

Mitch waves a hand. “Oh that, yeah I’ve got that, don’t worry about it.”

William decides not to ask. “Okayyy, so then what’s your problem? Looks to me like you’ve got it covered, bud. Just maybe don’t use the garbage bag. Not very romantic.” He nearly smacks Mitch with the spatula when he nods earnestly and makes a note of that on his phone.

“I need everything to be perfect,” Mitch says, flailing a little bit from the stress. “The basket is for Auston.”

“Yeah, dude, I figured. You’ve been dating for like almost a year.”

“Exactly a year!” Mitch cries. “A year exactly. Tomorrow is our anniversary, our first date was last year’s picnic auction.”

So. William is torn between two emotions. One is horror at the idea that Mitch’s rainbow Easter basket with some mysterious food is going to be Auston’s one-year anniversary gift. The other is also horror but at the idea that if his plan to win Kyle over works, they will have the same anniversary as Mitch and Auston.

Mitch suddenly notices William’s weirdly shaped and slightly burnt but still quite tasty snickerdoodles on the stove. “Oh hey, those look nice. Could I like…borrow some?”

So this is fine, William thinks. William’s got a plan, a romantic as heck plan, and everything is going to be So Fine.

***

“Why the bouncing?” Pasta mutters in William’s ear the next morning when the whole town is gathered in the square for the auction. “You look like you have ants dancing in your pants.”

William can see his beautiful basket, filled with the just okay snickerdoodles and the pretty okay sandwiches and a few other surprise things, among the pile of other baskets by the gazebo.

“Pasta, I love you, but I am like so stressed right now? This is not the time for jokes?” William bounces on his tip toes, peeking over the heads of the crowd trying to spot Kyle.

“Your boy will come, relax.”

“How do you know that? You don’t know that. What if I made this whole basket for nothing and I miss my chance and we never date? I’ll just have to pine from across the bookstore for the rest of my life.”

“You are dramatic. He said he’d come, yes?”

“Well, yes, but—”

Pasta shrugs. “Then he will come. He does not seem like a liar, your Kyle. And I bet he likes charity.”

William nods. “He does like charity, yeah.”

“I am always right,” Pasta insists, shoving William gently.

“You’re literally not?”

“Shut up. It’s starting.”

It takes about a million zillion years to get to William’s basket. Mitch’s basket goes pretty early, and Auston ends up paying forty-five dollars for it because he keeps outbidding himself, worried someone else will steal his anniversary basket. William wants to crawl into the ground when he sees that Mitch has filled the glittery Easter basket entirely with Timbits (where did he even get Timbits in Connecticut??), until he sees that Auston almost tears up and only saves face by half-heartedly chirping Mitch and saying, “they’re fucking donut holes, idiot, I love you so much.”

Finally, when William feels ready to collapse from nerves, Taylor holds up William’s basket and starts the bidding at ten dollars. William squishes his eyes shut almost faints when he hears Kyle’s voice call out, “Ten dollars.”

William looks around wildly and beams when he sees Kyle standing near the back. He’s got his hands jammed in his pockets like he’s nervous, and he’s got a backwards snapback on which, frankly, William was in no way prepared for.

It takes William a moment to realize that someone else has just bid fifteen dollars. Kyle looks at Willy, confused. Willy glances back around. “Pasta,” he hisses. “What are you doing?”

“Relax,” Pasta mumbles. “Gotta make sure your boy is the real deal.”

“No!” William whisper yells. “No, no, no, you do not have to make sure he is the real deal! We know that he is! He is here and he is bidding on my basket and you are messing everything up!”

“Uhh, twenty dollars?” Kyle calls out from the back.

“Twenty-one fifty,” Pasta counters.

“How dare you betray me like this!” William splutters. “You are robbing me of my dreams, by a dollar and fifty cents? Back off, you cheapskate!”

“Twenty-two seventy-five,” Kyle yells. And there’s a bit of an edge to his voice now. William flails, helpless. Kyle looks very serious. Kyle looks very focused. Kyle is holding a very small, very ratty, very typical ‘I’ve-had-this-wallet-since-third-grade’ guy wallet. Kyle looks over at him and grins. William almost has a heart attack.

No one in the crowd says anything. “Going once for twenty-two seventy-five?” Taylor calls.

William looks back at Pasta with his most serious face. “Don’t you dare say a word, this is already double what you spent on dinner after your last big pay raise, you don’t spend this much money on anything, do not blow this for me.”

Pasta grins but stays silent.

“Twenty-two-seventy-five going twice? Sold to the gentleman in the back!”

Kyle blushes and hurries forward to collect the basket. As he passes William on his way back, he pauses. “Guess I didn’t know how much of a picnic guy I was until I thought I was about to lose my chance. Meet me over by the bench after?”

William nods until his head feels wobbly. He turns to Pasta. “You little shit.”

“I am always right,” he says again.

“I hate you.”

“No, you don’t. Go get your boy.”

*** 

“These cookies are surprisingly good, William.”

“Never judge a cookie based on its weird shape.”

“Words of wisdom.”

They are sprawled out together on the warm spring grass, cookies and lemonade and an abandoned game of crazy eights scattered around them. Kyle points up at the cloudy sky. “That one looks like an antelope.”

“Antelopes are real?”

Kyle turns his head, making his hat go crooked. He looks like a huge dork, William thinks.

“Are you real?” Kyle laughs.

“I’ve been told I must be part faerie.”

“Uh huh.”

“Because I’m so beautiful.”

“Right, yes, thank you for clarifying.”

“But that has yet to proven.”

“Oh no, it’s definitely true. You are very beautiful, William,” Kyle says, soft.

Which. Well. Okay.

William had planned this day for weeks and weeks, and he was sure he’d prepared for everything. But he had somehow never planned for Kyle telling him that he’s beautiful, or how pretty Kyle’s dark eyes are up close, or how nice his hand feels holding William’s, or even how much he likes just lying here on the grass talking about cloud shapes and town gossip and how much Kyle has missed living in a small town like the one where he grew up, how happy he is to be here now.

“This is really nice,” William says, quiet, not a quite a whisper but almost.

“Really nice,” Kyle echoes. “I’m glad I bid on your basket.”

“Wanna do it again sometime?”

“Well, there’d better be a kite involved next time, but yeah. I’d like to this again.”

“Hey, Kyle?”

“Mhm?” Kyle says, eyes closed, a little sleepy.

“This is a date, right?”

“I sure hope so. Otherwise I paid a whopping twenty-two-seventy-five for a complete scam.”

William hides his smile against his sweater. “So since this is a date, is it okay if I kiss you now?”

Kyle opens his eyes. They are extra warm in the afternoon sunlight and William thinks that he would like to stay here in this moment forever. “That sounds pretty perfect to me.”

**Author's Note:**

> I yell about hockey [here](https://gabithagrumbles.tumblr.com/)


End file.
